Kremlin has prepared Russians to continue war in Ukraine — ISW

The Kremlin is not preparing Russians to conclude a peace deal in the near future. Thus, the invaders and society do not expect a quick end to the war in Ukraine.

It was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russians are ready to continue the war

Information about the willingness of the invaders and society to fight until the Kremlin's initial goals are achieved demonstrates the effectiveness of its longstanding propaganda justifying the protracted war.

Recently, The New York Times reported that the interview with 11 Russian soldiers showed that some of them oppose an unconditional ceasefire. According to the invaders, Russia must continue to fight until its army captures the entire territory of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

In addition, the occupiers call for no concessions to be offered to Ukraine or the West.

And the unpublished poll conducted in mid-April 2025 by the independent Russian opposition sociological organisation showed that half of the respondents would not support a peace agreement that did not meet the original military goals of Russian dictator Putin.

"ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin has not been preparing the Russian information space for a peace agreement in the near future and that Russian forces and society do not anticipate an imminent end to the war. The Kremlin has been engaged in a concerted effort to justify Putin's war aims as existential to the Russian state and to garner societal support for the protraction of the war until Russia achieves these goals," analysts note.

ISW says that the Kremlin officials are increasingly publicly stating that Russia is prepared to continue fighting until Ukraine accepts Russia's demands.

As a reminder, the meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul ended on Friday, May 16.

Also, at the plenary session of the European Political Community Summit on Friday, May 16, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that he was ready to meet with the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, May 15.